Weather blamed in man's electrocution

Updated 12:10 am, Wednesday, May 28, 2014

NEW MILFORD -- One man was killed and several people were injured as a result of weather-related accidents in New Milford on Tuesday evening, according to police and fire officials.

Nearly 6,100 customers, or about 44 percent of the town, were without power as of 8 p.m., according to Connecticut Light & Power, and several roads were closed because of downed trees and wires.

According to WTNH late Tuesday, a man died after rain and high winds brought down live wires on a car on Van Carr Road aroundd 7:20 p.m., setting the vehicle on fire and shocking the driver as he tried to escape the flames.

The victim, reported to be a man in his 40s or 50s, went into cardiac arrest and was taken to New Milford Hospital by ambulance. The man, whose identify is being withheld pending notification of family members, was pronounced deceased at New Milford Hospital, according to WTNH late Tuesday.

About the same time, emergency personnel were dispatched to an accident with injuries on Route 7, near the Balmoral Pet Cemetery in the Gaylordsville section of New Milford. Information on the number and extent of the injuries wasn't immediately available.

Route 7 was closed between Riverview and Grove roads.

"We can't really talk. We're getting hammered up here," said a volunteer at the Water Witch Hose Company on Grove Street.

The storm also caused similar problems in other communities in the area.

As of 9:45 p.m., power outages continued throughout the area, affecting more than 9,000 customers. In New Milford, more than 3,500 customers -- 28 percent -- remained without power, and more than 1,200 in Southbury were suffering outages.

Ninety-eight percent of Bridgewater customers and 75 percent of Roxbury customers still had no power.